Sickle bar assembly



Ma 2, 1939. v. L. STATHEM 2,156,745

S ICKLE BAR AS SEMBLY Filed May 15, 1937 Patented May 2, 1939 i rTENT OFFECE 2,156,745 sIoKLE BAR ASSEMBLY Vereau L. Stathem, Riverdale, Calif.

Application May 15, 1937, Serial No. 142,906

1 Claim. (Cl. 56305) This invention relates to mower constructions to the finger bar ID as by bolts [1 and these and more particularly to an improved sickle bar guard members l6 are provided with a blade supassembly which is so constructed that the sickle porting shoulder 18 and a second shoulder It may be used for a greater length of time without which is stepped downwardly from the shoulder s sharpening the teeth thereon and may be used 58 upon which a stationary cutting blade 20, 5 for different kinds of grain without requiring adprovided with a shank 2 I, is adapted to engage. justment of the movable cutting means, as is The blade 20 rests on the shoulder 58 and is necessary with sickle assemblies at present in secured thereto as by a rivet 22 or like fastening use. means and the shank 2| is secured to the shoulder Another object of this invention is to provide it as by a rivet 23 or like fastening device. 10 in a sickle bar assembly, means for taking up The upper surface of the shank 2i provides the wear between the stationary cutter bar and a bearing surface for a slide bar 24, which exthe movable or reciprocating cutter bar so that tends longitudinally of the finger bar 58 and the the device can be used for a greater length of upper surface of the slide bar 24 is preferably .15 time without replacement of the various parts substantially flush with the upper surface of the and, at the same time, provide an assembly stationary cutting blade 20.

wherein the gradual wearing down of the various The slide bar 24 has secured thereto a pluparts will not adversely effect the operation of rality of cutting blades 25 which are fastened the sickle to the forward edge vof the slide bar 24, as by A further object of this invention is to provide rivets 25 or like fastening means, so that the an improved means for yieldably holding the movable cutting blades may be replaced by movable cutter bar in contact with the teeth removing the rivets or fastening members 26 of the stationary bar and to provide additional where necessary. The undersides of the cutting wearing surfaces for the movable cutter bar so blades 25 slide over the top surfaces of the staas to reduce the wear on the movable and stationary blades 20 and the blades 25 are fricticn- (25 tionary bars and thus eliminate the necessity of ally held in contact with the blades 20 by means continually adjusting or replacing the wearing of a plurality of U-shaped wear plates 21. The parts. wear plates 21 comprise a base or bight portion With the foregoing and other objects in View, 28, provided with suitable holes through which 6 the invention will be more fully described herethe bolts H are adapted to pass and the bight 3o inafter, and will be more particularly pointed 2'! is firmly held on the finger bar it by the bolts out in the claims appended hereto. ii. The forwardly projecting parallel arms 29 In the drawing, wherein like symbols refer which are integral with the bight 28 project to like or corresponding parts throughout the sevforwardly over the upper surface of the slide bar eral views, 24 and are provided at their forward end por- 35 Figure 1 is a top plan partly broken away of a tions with rabbeted under faces 30 which overlie sickle bar assembly constructed according to an the inner ends of the blades 25.

embodiment of this invention. The arms 29 are also provided with alined Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken grooves 35 in which the heads of the rivets or on the line 2-2 of Figure l. fastening members 26 are received. That portion 40 Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view taken of each arm 29 inwardly of the rabbeted poron the line 3-3 of Figure 1. tion 30 and outwardly of the bight 28, is adapted Referring to the drawing, the numeral ill desto contact with the upper surface of the slide ignates generally a stationary frame bar or finger bar 24 so as to firmly hold this slide bar 2 2 and bar which is adapted to be secured at its inner the blades 25 against the shanks 2i and the 45 end to a mower construction of conventional blades 20, respectively. type. The 103,1 ill at its outer end iS IJIOVldBd With A ear plate or member 32 is interposed bea shoe II havi a runner l3 secured to the tween the bight 2c of the pressure member 21 un e d thereof- The bar at its inner 3 and this wear plate 32 is preferably substantially has secured the eto a guard member 52, which is L-shaped in transverse section with one leg 33 50 p ov ded With an upturned tapered forward end thereof resting on the upper surface of the finger Hi. This guard 12 is secured to the underside bar it d th th 1 34 projecting down of the supporting ba I a y bolts 5 Or the wardly over the forward edge of the finger bar like. it and between the forward edge of the finger A plu a y 0 guard members t a s ur d bar In and the rear edge of the slide bar 24.

In this manner, the rear edge of the slide bar 24 will wear against the removable wear plate 32 rather than against the forward edge of the finger bar I and will also wear against the shanks 2|, forming an integral part of the blades 29. The pressure members 21 are adapted to firmly hold the blades 25 in contact with the blades 20 and also hold the slide bar 24 in contact with the upper surfaces of the shanks 2|.

A holding plate 35 is secured to the finger bar it adjacent the inner end thereof by means of the bolts l- This holding plate 35 overlies the inner end portion of the slide member 24 and preferably this member 24 is enlarged at the inner end thereof so as to provide a relatively large wear surface at its inner end. An upwardly projecting post 36 is carried by the slide bar 24 adjacent the inner end thereof and provides a means for connection between the slide bar 24 and the operating means therefor (not shown) which is conventional in mower mechanisms.

A second holding member 31 is secured to the guard member l2 by means of bolts 38 or the like and preferably this holding member 31 has an upwardly ofiset portion between the inner end of which and the forward end of the clamping bar 35, the coupling member 36 is adapted to engage.

In the use of this sickle bar assembly, the stationary or lower blades 20 are secured by means of the rivets 22 and 23 to the guard members l6 and the downwardly offset shank 2| acts as a wear surface for the slide 24. The wear plate or shim 32 is provided with elongated holes 39 through which the bolts I5 and I! pass so that the wear plates 32 may, upon wearing of the forward edge 34 thereof, be moved forwardly by loosening the bolts I5 and H. The wear member 35? will have the forward flange or leg 34 thereof interposed between the rear edge of the slide bar '2 and the forward edge of the finger bar l0 so that the contact of the slide bar at its rear edge will be against a wear plate which is easily adjustable in the event there is too much play between the slide bar 24 and the channel formed by the downwardly offset shank 2| and the forward edge of the finger bar. This wear member 32 may readily be adjusted or replaced, thus making it unnecessary to provide new finger bars and other parts upon wearing as is the case in present mower constructions. The pressure members 21 may also be provided with elongated holes or slots 46 so that these members may also be adjusted to take up wear.

The bolts i! may be tightened to the desired degree so as to apply the necessary pressure on the pressure arms 29 and thus hold the slide bar 24 and the blades 25 in sliding engagement with the shanks 2| and the blades respectively. The shim or wear member 32 will have the forward flange or leg 34 thereof interposed between the rear edge of the slide bar 24 and the forward edge of the finger bar l0 so that the contact of the slide bar at its rear edge will be against awear plate which is easily removable so that in the event there is too much play between the slide bar 24 and the channel formed by the downwardly offset shank 2| and the forward edge of the finger bar H a new wear plate or shim may be used, thus making it unnecessary to replace both the slide bar and the finger bar as is necessary in present constructions.

It is, of course, understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the details of construction and design of the above specifically described embodiment of this invention without departing from the spirit thereof, such changes and modifications being restricted only by the scope of the following claim.

I claim:

A sickle bar assembly comprising a supporting bar, .a plurality of guard fingers, the rear ends of which abut against the under surface of the supporting bar, said guard fingers having stepped upper faces, stationary blades disposed on the stepped upper faces of the guard fingers and provided with downwardly offset shank members, a slide bar mounted in the channel formed by said shank members and the forward edge of said supporting bar but spaced from the latter, blades carried by said slide bar, a plurality of longitudinaily spaced U-shaped pressure members secured to the supporting bar and the parallel arms thereof projecting forwardly over the slide bar to hold the latter in contact with the stationary blades and the shank members thereof, a wear member substantially L-shaped in cross section interposed between the pressure members and the supporting bar and extending downard into the space between the supporting bar and the slide bar, and bolts extending thru the guard fingers, the supporting bar, the pressure members and the said interposed wear member to hold said parts securely together, the wear member being formed with slots whereby it may be adjusted to take up the wear on the slide bar.

VEREAU L. STA'I'HEM. 

